January News Updated: 19/1/00
I know I haven't updated in a long time. Sorry about that. So much has happened too! Where to start. . .
old demo released...blur arrested?...
REBIRTH OF DAMON'S 'HIPPY CHILDREN'
An unreleased song written by BLUR'S DAMON ALBARN back in 1989 is now
available to download from the internet, exclusively via nme.com.
The song 'Hippy Children' was written by Damon and his then manager
Graeme Holdaway under the name 'Circus' during the days the Blur
frontman recorded and wrote material at the Beat Factory studio in
London's Euston area.
It was during this time that Holdaway helped put together Seymour, the
band that signed to Food Records and later became Blur.
Hippy Children' is about the 60s generation during Margaret Thatcher's
1980s. Featuring Damon on vocals it's the song that clinched him a deal
with Food, according to the record label that's releasing the song,
Over18s Records.
The Perthshire-based label claims to have access to 30 or 40 unreleased
Damon compositions.
The label's David Kildare told NME he also has material recorded by
Damon when he was in a band called Two's A Crowd.
He said: "I'm a very big Blur fan and I think that the song that we're
putting out is the best one we have. Very few people have heard it."
For more information, see this week's NME.
Meanwhile, Blur FC, the offical Blur fan club, releases the fourth of
its exclusive CDs to members this week.
The one track CD contains an early recording from when the band were
still called Seymour.
The song, 'Sing (to me)' also comes from Beat Factory sessions and is a
different version of 'Sing' which appeared on Blur's debut album 1991
'Leisure'.
The CD accompanies the latest edition of Blurb, the official fan
magazine. Anyone interested in joining Blur FC and receiving the CD and
magazine should send and SAE for more information to Blur FC, PO Box
525, Stoke-On-Trent, ST7 2YX.
Finally, bassist Alex James has revealed the band got arrested on top of
a Mexican pyramid during their tour of Central and South America at the
end of last year.
James said they had climbed the sacred Pyramid Of The Sun at the ancient
site of Teotihuacan near Mexico City to see the dawn when they were
arrested by a member of Mexico's notoriously corrupt police force for
"defaming" the sacred soil.
He continued: "We bribed a guard to get in. Then when we got to the top
we met apparently the only Mexican cop who wouldn't take a bribe. We got
arrested and things got a bit hairy. We managed to wriggle out of it,
but they were all speaking Spanish, so I don't know how."-NME.com
to hear the song go to http://www.surf.to/over18s
if that doesnt work, go to the NME site here: http://www.nme.com/newsdesk/20000119090029.html
see a picture of damon really cut up here: http://www.nme.com/newsdeskimg/BlurDamon1199.jpg
Oasis play Country House?!
OASIS: BLUR HERE NOW
OASIS are inviting fans to pick the song they'd most like them cover -
and nme.com is launching a campaign to get everyone to vote for BLUR'S
'COUNTRY HOUSE'!
Songwriter NOEL GALLAGHER and guitarist GEM are appearing on RADIO ONE
STEVE LAMACQ's EVENING SESSION on January 17 to perform an acoustic set
of three songs from their new album STANDING ON THE SHOULDER OF GIANTS.
People are being asked to vote now, and on the January 17 show, the band
will also learn the song chosen by the fans. They then have three days
to learn the song before they record it on January 20 at the BBC's Maida
Vale studios for broadcast on Lamacq's show at a later date.
The only songs Noel is refusing to cover are BEATLES songs.
He said: "It will be a pleasure to take the band into the studio for the
very first time to perform some old ones, some new ones and one cover
version of your choice. PS Please don't pick any Beatles songs as George
(Harrison) probably won't be able to take the excitement!"
Oasis are known to loathe the Blur track after it beat their single
'ROLL WITH IT' when the two were released the same week in the summer of
1995.
You can vote for 'Country House' or any other song you'd like covered by
Oasis here -http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/alt/feature_oasis.shtml . Or post your entry quickly to: The
Evening Session, BBC Radio 1, London W1N 4DJ.
go and vote now! i've voted 20 times so far, and i'm still going! this will be such a big, brilliant thing! proving that blur truely is the better band and a singles war was only a small battle of the bands!
Select
The February 2000 issue of Select has a 6 page article about the blur singles night. be sure to pick that up as soon as you can.
Graham's going to be a father!
Soon there will be the pitter patter of little Graham Jr. running about! Graham and his Sweedish girlfriend, Anna, are expecting their first child on January 31. This is the same date that arch rival Noel Gallagher and his wife Meg Mathews are due to have their first child.
Graham's 'Imagine' art
Graham has made art work for the released John Lennon 'Imagine' singles. Several musical artists were asked by Yoko Ono to contribute art for the singles. I'll try and get a picture of this up as soon as i can. It shows a real picture of Lennons head and arms, then the rest was drawn in by graham. He drew in Lennon's naked body and a heart with wings flying out of him.
Magazines
Damon is on the cover of the new Q january 2000 issue along with others. It is a fold out cover with even more people inside. There are blurry things on these pages:
> In addition to Damon being on the front cover, there's
> a small Blur article p.3,
> a small pic p.4 showing Damon + K. Richards, T. Rowlands & Healy,
> a full-page "new-look" Damon p.5,
> an Alex James article p.22 & 24,
> Damon + K. Richards, T. Rowlands & Healy again p.52&53,
> the 4 of Blur at the Q Awards p.55,
> Damon & K. Richards + Damon interview p.56
> Blur, Damon & Alex mentioned p.58, 60, 62 , 64 & 68
> Pic of Alex p.63
> Pic of Graham p.64
> '13' article p; 83
> '13' pic p. 145
> Blur article p.166
Damon has also been spotted on the cover of the January 2000 Esquire magazine. It is a double cover. One of them has Damon and the other has a naked girl on the cover. (i forget her name. kate something)
November
October
September
even farther back in the news stand